Phonograph.



c. s. BURTON.

PHoNoGRAPH.

` AFP'LICATiON FILED JAN. 29.1917- l 1 wzh m' Patented. Apr. 30, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. S. BURTON.

PHONOGRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 29.1917.

Patented Apr. so, ma.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.-

I UDUDDDUDUDUUUUUUUUUDDUDUDCIUDE lli 92%@0 i "i "tutti,

i :i ne! s. nron, or can c@ i renonce t:

specification of Lettere' Patent.

Patented dpr, 3d, 19de Application led January 29, 15.1117. Serial No. 145,037.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, CHARLES. S. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at @ak Park, in the county of Cook and State. of llllinois, have invented new and useful a art thereof.

he purposeof this invention is to provide an improved construction of a phonograph adapted to be combined with a piano and contained within the casing thereof. lt consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a piano embodying this invention.

graph mechanism contained in the piano case, showing certain parts of the piano case and mechanism for the purpose of indicating the 'relative location of the phonograph in the case. y

Fig. 3 is a vertical section at the line 3--3 on lFlg.` 2.

rlthe specific purpose of the construction shown'in the 'drawmgs is to adapt a phonograph mechanism to be mounted in a piano case so as to position the record carrier and the .record thereon within the space which is usually available infront of thehammer action, instead of as has heretofore been generally considered necessary, at such position that the record carrier. and record stand in the wider space available within the case above the'hammer action. For the purpose vof so positioning the record carrier and record, the mechanism is designed and constructed 'to have the record carrier in a suby stantiallyt` erect position, presenting the face of the record tothe. view of the listener.

standing" front of the piano.

The general construction of the phonograph mechanism and the means for rotating the recr'd'ris not herein claimed andl is designed to be Illustrated and described here only so far as necessary to present the particular features which are modified from the usual construction in order to accomplish the pu ose of the present invention.

'll`herawings show a piano case, 1, containing an automatic .player action which is indicated by the tracker box, 2, with a tracker, 3, and with note sheet carg Fig. 2 is a front elevation-of thephonoin in this frame 15,

rolls, 4 and 5, therein. The roll operating mechanism isindicated by the outline of the frame thereof, shown at 6, at the right hand end of the tracker box. A shaft, 7, extending behind the tracker box-is to be understood as connected with the -train of the roll operating mechanism. This shaft com- -niunicates power for 'actuating the record carrier of the phonograph mechanism which 1s carried in the space available in the piano case at the left hand. endof the tracker box of the automatic piano playing mechanism,

4and in front of the hammer-action of the piano indicated by the hammer rest rail, 9, and hammers, 10, shown in the, customary position with respect to the other parts mentioned of the automatic or player piano. The feature which distinguishes the present invention is the location of the record carrier, 12, of the phonograph in substantially erect position so as to expose the record thereon, facing forward, through the aperture, 14:, formed in the front of the piano rcasefor giving access to the phonograph. 14a. is a door for closing this opening, conveniently hinged at its lower edge for swinging forward to open, and provided with means for holding it horizontal at open position so that it constitutes ashelf upon which the records may be temporarily lodged when changing the records on the' record carrier. This door isk rendered ornamental .by a symmetrically situated forward swell 15, which 'serves the mechanical purpose of accommodating the sound box of the phonograph in the cavity which resultsat the inner side from making the swell at the outer side. For mounting the record carrier in the erect position described and supporting the carrier. operating mechanism, a frame,

tion board, 1, (though this particular method of supporting it is not essential). The power communicating shaft, 7, extending behind the tracker box from the notesheet-operating motor train situated at the 1 5, is provided mounted upon the foundaopposite end of the tracker box obtains bearand carries upon its V1 vhand end a .isk,'16, which rotates in frictional engagement with a friction pul- 1n. horizontal position in said frame, 15, ex-

.i ley, 17, on-the sha-ft 18, also journaled ,inl

said frame, 15, and

shown, consisting in mounting the pulley,

17, slidably on the shaft, 18, the hub of the pulley being grooved and engaged by a forked arm, 21, having loose pivotal con- Y nections with a sleeve, 22, which is mounted upon a threaded shaft, 23, journaled in the frame, 15, and provided with a hand-wheel, 24, by which they may be rotated to cause the threaded sleeve to travel longitudinally upon it and thereby cause the forked arm similarly to slide the friction pulley, 17, along the shaft, 18, to vary the distance fromjthe center of the friction disk, 16, at which said pulley is frictionally engaged.

The tone arm, 30, 3l, is jointed at 32, the member, 30, which carries the sound box, 33, being hinged to the member, 31, said latter member being pivoted for swinging in a plane parallel to the record and carrying the sound box across the latter for playing. The said member, 31, is pivoted as described to the fixedly-supported horn bracket, 34,

rby center-point screws, 35 and 35, the

former set through the back wall of the horn bracket and engaging the closed end of the discharge arm of the tone arm elbow, and the latter set through the overhanging end of-a bracket, 36, secured `to said hornl bracket, 34. The discharge arm of the elbow is skeletonized for lateral discharge of the vibrationsinto the horn bracket, 34.

Upon considering the relation of the tone arm and sound box to the erect record which lresults from making the record carrier erect. as described, it will be seen that 'when the tone arm is pivoted to the horn bracket in proper position to cause the sound box stylusto move acrossthe record in a direction substantially radial thereto, as it should for proper reproduction at all points of its path,- the center of gravity of the tone arm and sound box, that is, of the structure which is mounted for -pivotal movement about the axis of the swivel joint of the elbow to the horn bracket, will tend to assume a position in the vertical foreand-aft plane through said swivel axis, and therefore at every other position there will be a `lateralpressure of the stylus in the groove of the record, due to gravity. Since this lateral pressure will vary at all positions in theswing of the sound box and stylus over'the record, it will tend to vary the reproduction of the record at dierent parts, and will also tend to wear the groove on one side or the other, that is, to wear it unequally on the two sides; and it will also make the stylus liable to jump from the groove and swing to the neutral position. To prevent these results there is provided a counterbalance for the tone arm and sound box consisting in the weighted arm, 40, pivoted at any convenient position said counterbalance arm and tone arm respectively swing, so as to give the weight, 42, an angular movement about the fulcrum of said arm, 40, equal to that of the tone arm about its fulcrum in the horn bracket, and in an arc reciprocally situated with respect to the arc through which said sound box, (or to be more exact, the center of gravity of the tone arm and its load, namely the sound box) moves in traversing the record.

In view of the erect position of the record, the sound box stylus will not be adequately held to the, record by gravity; and the necessary pressure is provided by a spring, y45, stretched from a point on the tone arm member, 30, which is offset toward the plane of thev record from the pivot of-said member, 30, 31, said spring extending through said' member, 31, to the back or top of the elbow and secured thereto. The point of attachment of the spring to the tone arm member, 30, is selected so that when the sound box is withdrawn from the record a certain distance, the line of tension'of the spring passes pivot axis of the arm 30 to the arm, 31, and the spring will then react to withdraw the sound box from the record instead of holding it toward the record, and will sustain it in a convenient position for inserting and removing the stylus and introducing a record behind the tone arm on the record carrier.

To prevent the record from accidentally escaping from the center pin of the record carrier and to cause the record to be lodged against the record carrier with suiiieient certainty to insure the frictional engagement between the two by which the record is carried with the record carrier, said center-pin is split and the split ends are spread apart and made elastic so that they may be closed together to admit the record onto the pin, which spreading again elastically prevents the escape of the record.

I claim 1. A phonograph comprising in combination with a flat rotatively mounted record ca rrier and means by which it is mounted with its flat record-supporting surface in an edgewise upstanding position, a soundreproducing device and a tone arm upon whichit is carried for swinging over the record upon the tablet, a pivotal support for the tone arm in such swinging movement positioned outside thecircumference of the tablet at the upper sideof the latter whereby said tone arm is pendant from its pivot and a weighted lever pivoted for swinging l naeaaee through an arc above its fulcrlnn, and connections between said lever and fthe tone arm for causing them to swing through substantially equal arcs.

2. A honograph comprising incombination wit a dat rotatively mounted record carrier, land means by which it is mounted with its Hat record-supporting surface in an edgewise upstanding position, a soundreproducing device and-a tone arm upon w ich it isv carried for swinging over the record Iupon the tablet; a pivotal support for the tone arm in such swinging movement5 a lever pivoted for swinging through .an arc at the opposite side 'of the lever ful- I c rum fromv that "of the sound box with respect to the tone arm fu1crum,and connections between the tone arm and said lever for causing them to yswing'y through equal' arcs at said opposite sides of their respective fulcrums.

3. A phonograph comprising combinav .tion with a flat rotativelymounted record carrier, and means by which 1t is mounted with its Hat record-supporting surface in an ed ewise upstandin position, a soundreproucing device and a tone arm -u'pon which it is carried for swinging over the i record upon the tablet; a pivotal support for the tone arm in suchl swinging movement;

a lever pivoted for swinging about lits fulcrum. through an arc oppositely positioned f with respect to said fulcrum from the position of the sound box with respect tothe tone arm fulcrum,

said lever with the tone arm for giving to the two equal angular movement about their respective fulcrums.

4. A phonograph comprising in combina- 40 tion with a flat rotatively mounted record carrier, and means by which it is mounted with its'- lat records`upporting surfacein an ed ewise upstandin position,- a soundreprouoing device an a tone'arm upon which it is and alink connectiirig` carried for swinging over the record upon the tablet; said tone arm being jointed between the sound box and its. said pivotal' support for swinging the member whichcarrles the tone arm toward and awayfrom the record, and a sprmg connected. to the sound-boX-carr ing member of the tone arm at a point o set toward the plane of the record from the hinge pivot of said member to the other member of the tone arm, and reacting from its point of attachment to said member backalong the length of the other member'of the tone arm, the hingle *connection between the two 'members of t e tone arm being ada ted'to permit the `sound-box-carrying imemger to be swung about said hinge to carry the sound-box away from the record through an angle sufficient to carry the line lof tension of said spring past the hinge pivot. 1 5. A phonograph comprising in combination with -a dat rotatively mounted record carrier, and fineans by which it is mounted with its flat record-supportingl surface in an edgewise upstanding position, avsoundreproducing device and a tone arm upon which it is 70 carried for swinging over the record upon `a tablet in a substantially vertical plane,

lthe sound-box awa from the record carries Of'said spring to past the hinge axls, enough to hold the the point'of attac ment 85 said swinging member the spring being stron sound box away from -t e record.

lin testimony whereof, have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, llllinois, this 26th 9o day of ,zllanuary9 1917.

CHARLES S. BURTON. 

